Katz Says Israel Will Not Withdraw From South Lebanon, Even Under U.S. Pressure

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel will not pull out of southern Lebanon, even if the United States asks it to do so, amid tensions over the ceasefire. He said Israel’s position is that it will remain in the security area in Lebanon and Syria as part of its defense doctrine.

According to Katz, 200,000 residents will not return to the area. He said, “There are no residents and no terrorists. We will not leave the security zone in Syria and Lebanon, and that is the security concept.” He added that the army must operate on the enemy’s side and protect Israeli communities from inside the territory itself.

Katz explained that past security zones where civilians also lived led to explosives and attacks against soldiers, and said Israel would not allow that to happen again. He summed up the policy as, “Soldiers inside, residents outside.” He also said the infrastructure is destroyed and the houses are damaged and threatening, reinforcing, in his words, why “we are not withdrawing.”